The big idea: four reasons the rich young ruler went away grieved from Jesus

1. Because he talked to the real Christ.
The real Christ demands more AND offers more.

2. Jesus crushed his religious views.
He knew he had a hole in his heart – he came to Jesus feeling his sense of lacking. He thought Christianity was something you could add to, something he could do. He had done these things. What one thing did he lack was his question. He was more of a sinner than he thought. He had not even done the first commandment perfectly and lovedGod with all his heart.

3. Jesus Gets personal not academic.
Christ loved him means that he read his soul. For the caught adultress woman Jesus doesn’t say give all your money away. To Abraham he does not say anything but go sacrifice your only son. Jesus gets at our dreams. He wants to offer and be to us that which we dream about most fondly. He gets at this mans soul, that which he thinks will give him a life of power and joy without God. Surrender your fondest dreams to Christ. He wants to be even more than that to and for you.

4. Jesus showed him he did not have true treasure in heaven.
We need to see both that Jesus is our supreme treasure AND that I am his treasure. In Isaiah 49 we are faced with the question will a mother forget her child? This is not likely but even so, how much MORE will God not forget us. That is the point of that passage. We are his treasure. In the Song of Soloman we hear that he is our beloved one and we are his. I am my beloved’s and he is mine.